A large majority of comedians don’t make money in stand-up comedy simply because they don’t understand the big picture of how to become a comedian that’s marketable. If you want to learn how to become a comedian you have to set yourself up to make money… not just get laughs on stage.
Learn How to Become a Comedian That Can Appeal To Niche Audiences
Writing stand-up comedy that appeals to a specific niche is the most effective marketing advice for new and old comedians alike. Learning how to become a comedian that can appeal to a specific audience niche is a quick way of both differentiating yourself as a comedian as well as building a fan base (in fact, the two often go hand-in-hand). Furthermore, stand-up comedy classes generally don’t teach this comedian marketing technique, even though it’s one of the most powerful tools for marketing yourself as a comedian.
Here’s where most comedians get tripped up. They believe that “mainstream” success in stand-up comedy comes from keeping material generally appealing to everyone. But they fail to see that when you dilute your comedy so that it appeals to everyone you end up making it appeal to no one. Audience members are no longer inspired to tell their friends about you because you blend in with every other comedian. Comedians that are different are the ones that get talked about. So while you’re learning how to become a comedian, look at how you can differentiate yourself in a creative way.
Once you learn how to become a comedian that can appeal to different niches you’ll find that your fan-base begins to grow exponentially. Audience members will begin following you and telling their friends about you because you’ll be different, and different is worth talking about. This is the exact opposite approach most new comedians take.
Jared Volle